Snow slows area roads, highways

Another winter storm snarls roads all over the Chicago area. On Tuesday afternoon, traffic on the Kennedy Expressway at the Randolph overpass was just barely moving.

The side streets are covered with ice and snow. Residents are having a difficult time driving on Warren Boulevard. Some chicagoans claim they have never seen such treacherous conditions on the side streets and they are concerned about residents who live in the area.

"This is the worst one we ever had. Many people getting laid off?need to get the streets together, get the snow up. It's ugly. People need to get around out here. Streets and sanitation needs to get out here and get on the job. Too many people stranded, man. People are stuck. Look at the streets," said Zuriel Anderson, Chicago resident.

The Streets and Sanitation commissioner says snow command has been monitoring the incoming snow bands to main streets and doing their best to keep traffic moving. Side streets are also a concern. They realize it must be addressed.

"That is our goal: to complete all the mains right now and get ready for this evening's rush and keep an eye on the system behind the one we just had and eventually get into the side streets, be it this evening or the early morning hours of tomorrow," said Mike Picardi, commissioner, Dept. of Streets & Sanitation.

According to Picardi, it has been a difficult season and the freezing temperatures make it difficult to keep side streets clean.

"Even though we plowed Saturday night, we plowed Sunday, the best we could do was flatten out the streets but they're still going to remain frozen until temperatures rise," said Picardi.

Streets and sanitation announced it has increased the number of snow-fighting trucks from 184 to 274 which is 100 percent of the fleet.

"If that system is heavy and produces snow that will cover the main, we will keep that out on the mains and once we're finished with the main after midnight at some point we will get inside and do all the side streets," said Picardi.

The commissioner says that one problem is when people clean around their cars and sidewalks and throw that snow into the side streets and that freezes and creates an ice problem. Picardi urges the public to put the snow in the parkway instead.